Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

was a Japanese businessman, central banker and the 6th Governor of the

Bank of Japan The is the central bank of Japan.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric. (2005). "Nihon Ginkō" in The bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. History Like most modern Japanese instituti ...

(BOJ). He was a Baron and a member of Japan's House of Peers from 1900 through 1916.

Early life

Matsuo was born in Hyogo Prefecture.

Career

In 1900, Matsuo had risen to the position of bureau chief in the

Finance Ministry A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

. Matsuo was BOJ Governor from October 20, 1903, to June 1, 1911. During his term, the bank managed the money supply to restrain inflation.Wolf, David ''et al.'' (2007). In 1904, Matsuo assembled the heads of 35 commercial banks, offering favourable terms for lending by BOJ. Matsuo construed complaints about "bad times" to mean that economic conditions were normal, and that there had been diminished opportunities for speculation.Matsuo, Shigeyoshi. (1911). "The Banking Year in Japan in 1910," in

Notes

References

* Augello, Massimo M. and Marco Enrico Luigi Guidi. (2005). ''Economists in Parliament in the Liberal Age (1848-1920).'' Burlington: Ashgate.; * Duus, Peter. (1995). ''The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1895-1910.'' Berkeley: University of California Press. 1843 births 1916 deaths People from Hyōgo Prefecture Japanese bankers Members of the House of Peers (Japan) Governors of the Bank of Japan {{Japan-business-bio-stub